The present invention relates to support assemblies for supporting a transducer, and more particularly to support assemblies that included molded structures.
Hard disc drives (HDDs) typically comprise one or more discs, each disc having concentric data tracks for storing data. Where multiple discs are used, a stack is formed of co-axial discs having generally the same diameter. A transducing head carried by a slider is used to read from and write to a data track on a disc. The slider is carried by head arm assembly (HAA) that includes an actuator arm, a suspension, and a gimbal. As the disc is spun, the slider glides above the surface of the disc on a small cushion of air. The actuator arm movably positions the slider with respect to the disc. A plurality of actuator arms may be connected to a common E-block for common rotation. The suspension includes a base plate, a pre-load bend region, and a load beam. The slider is supported and biased towards the rotating discs by the suspension. The gimbal supports the slider and permits pitch and roll movements. In addition, electrical connections routed along the HAA are used to connect the transducing head to circuitry (e.g., a printed circuit card assembly (PCCA) and a pre-amp) located behind the HAA.
In operation, the slider is positioned above a data track on the disc by moving the actuator arm about an axis using a large-scale actuation motor, such as a voice coil motor. A small-scale microactuation motor connected to the suspension can be used for finely positioning the transducing head relative to data tracks on the disc. Such small-scale microactuation motors typically produce small-scale movements in response to an applied voltage.
When a drive enters a stopped state, the slider is positioned so that it does not contact the data tracks on the disc. This can be accomplished with contact start-stop (CSS) or load/unload (L/UL) designs. With CSS designs, a transducer parks on a textured zone at an inner diameter of the disc when in an inactive state. With L/UL designs, a lift tab is included on the suspension. Lift tabs are formations connected to the suspension that generally extend beyond a head gimbal assembly. The lift-tab provides a contact surface for loading and unloading a HAA from an associated, ramp structure, which provides a landing location for supporting the HAA in an inactive state. When the lift tab engages (or parks) on the associated ramp structure, the slider is supported in a way that prevents contact with the disc.
Numerous problems are faced when designing an HAA. For instance, windage, resonance, mass, stiffness, and particle generation all present design problems.
Thus, a support assembly for supporting a transducer is needed that is inexpensive to manufacture and reduces problems associated with prior art designs.